James beid



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES REID, on NEW Yoan, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT` IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.'

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES REID, ofthe city and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use a certainV new and useful Improvement in Fire-Arms; and I do Ahereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of my said invention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, wherein- Figure l is a side view of my iire-arm. Fig. 2 is a section ot' the cylinder and chambers, and Fig. 3 is a rear View ofthe nipple-breech.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.

The nature ot' my said invention consists in a nipple-breech .screwed into the rear end of thechamber ofarevolving cylinder, said breech being of the size of the barrel, and capable of being easily removed, so that the arm can be tired with a charge of ordinary powder and' ball by a percussion-cap, or the said breechnipple can be removed and fixed ammunition introduced, consisting of the copper case containing the powder and base of the ball with thefulminatingmaterialintheilange surrounding the base. Thus my tire-arm is adapted to the various circumstances that may arise, .and the arm may be used with ordinary ammunition it' the fixed ammunition gives out.

a represents the barrel, b b, the straps or .connecting-bars to the stock or handle c.

el is the revolving' cylinder on the axis l, and 2 2 are the chambers in said cylinder. These chambers are bored entirely through the cylinder, anda screw-thread is formed around the rear end of each chamber, as shown in Fig. 2.

e is a breech, screwed into the rear end ot' the chamber by any suitable wrench or driver acting in notches 3 3 in a flange surrounding the rear edge of said breech. This breech is recessed so as to leave a nipple, 4, within the said breech, upon whichA an ordinary percussion-cap is to be placed.

fis ahammer, actuated by any ordinary mechanism, the end of which is formed with a projecting rib, and the part 5 of said rib projects slightly beyond the face of the hammer, and this part enters one of the notches 33 as the hammer is projected to strike the cap on the nipple 4, the part 6 of said rib taking the cap.

When the nipple-breech eis removed the open rear end of the chamber or barrel is adapted to receive the xcd ammunition, as shown at g, in which the copper case is represented as containing the fulminate at 9. The powder at 7 and the ball at S are to be as usual.

When the piece is tired the hammer f strikes the cartridge, exploding the detonating material at 9, the projecting part 5 penetrating said case, as usual. By this shape at the front end the hammer is adapted to either the nipple or the fixed cartridge.

The cylinder d and the xed ammunition are sustained at the rear by the recoil-plate h, the hammer passing through a slot in the same; and at the sideof this recoil-plate islthe segmental plate i, set on and attached bythe screw l0; and 1l is a small latch or catch to yhold said plate in place, and a projecting ange on the side ot' this plate `t covers the base of the cartridges g and prevents the same falling out; but when this plate is turned aside, as represented by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the cartridges can be introduced, or the nipple-breech unscrewed and withdrawn or inserted, as may be needed for the ordinary or fixed ammunition.

I do not claim a cylinder with removable sec tions, either perforated or provided with cones, as shown in the patent of T. J. Mayall, November 25,1862, whereby the entire cylinder can be adapted to ordinary or tixed ammunition.

Neither do I claim a breech fitted to screw into the rear of a barrel and provided with a nipple for a cap; but Y What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The nipple-breeches screwed into the rear ends of the chambers in the revolving cylinder, in combination with the recoil-plate at the rear ofthe cylinder litted iirsuch a manner as to allow ot' the removal of said screw-nipple breeches and the introduction of lixed ammunition, as set forth.

2. The segmental plate i, fitted, as specified, on the side of the recoil-plate 71, to cover the rear ends of the cartridges in the chambers 2 E, as set forth.

In witness whereof Ihave hereunto set my signature this 24th day of December, 1862 JAMES REID.

Witnesses: v

LEMUEL W. SERRELL, THOS. GEO. HARoLD.- 

